Community Corner: Happy Holidays to You and Yours

During the holiday season, many of us may feel mixed emotions — joy, sadness, hopeful, hopeless, frustration, depression, happiness, and thankful — any or all of these feelings will arise during holiday times. It’s hard to fathom how one person or one family can manage all this! But you do manage this, every day that you live with or care for someone living with epilepsy. The holiday season, though, can magnify these feelings — depending on the circumstances of your personal situation.

When things are not going well, the negative feelings can take precedence in our lives. It may be hard to see and feel the world around you if you are struggling with frequent seizures, fear, or the memory of having already lost a loved one to epilepsy. The daily impact of seizures may leave people feeling lonely, worried about finances, unable to drive and join celebrations with family and friends, or concerned about being a burden to others.

Each of us has our own journey, and some of these issues may affect you at one time or another. As we each reflect on where we are and where we hope to go, consider the following:

• Celebrate your health. What progress have you made? Count the little things — they matter a lot! 
• Don’t focus on just the seizures. There is more to you than epilepsy. Let who you are shine through for yourself and others to see.
• Take care of yourself! This time of year, we tend to lose our healthy routines. Our days are filled with stress, little sleep, and lots of stimuli. These problems can lead to more seizures for some people.
• If you are a family member or caregiver, take care of yourself too! You can’t care for others if you are not okay.
• Don’t worry if you can’t get out to shop. The important part is to give of yourself and your time.
• Giving does not need to be in person. Call, email, video call, or text a friend or loved one.
• Be present in all that you do. Put aside the challenges when you can and enjoy the moment.
• Use your epilepsy community friends and local support. Reach out to your local Epilepsy Foundation, join the epilepsy.com connect community, and visit us on Facebook. People are always there to listen, enjoy, and help each other.

Thank you for being there for each other and for letting us be a part of your life.

And a huge thank you all for your support and dedication to epilepsy and the Epilepsy Foundation.

Best wishes,

Patty Osborne Shafer RN, MN